Fitch douses Chaney rally, rolls to fifth
When the Cowboys rallied to make a game of it, the Falcons countered with an uprising.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- One way to stop a team's comeback in a basketball game is to figure out what it is doing right, and then try to counter that with an effective strategy.
Austintown Fitch saw that Chaney was getting the ball underneath and scoring in the third quarter Friday to rally from a 32-20 deficit at the half to pull within 37-34.
So the Falcons closed the inside lanes, forced the Cowboys out of their deliberate offense, and then got a few big baskets to pull away to a 59-40 win at the Chaney gym to boost their record to 5-1.
"They [Chaney] decided to go inside to [Keilen] Dykes and [Roy] Austin," Fitch coach Gary Conroy said. "They were doing a nice job on the post."
But then, "[Kevin] Johnson and [Greg] Mayes stepped it up defensively on the inside," Conroy said. "They closed up the inside. So, we neutralized their offensive strategy."
17-point run: And with Chaney checked underneath offensively, Fitch went on a 17-point unanswered scoring run behind Shawn Barber, Terrell Eargle, Mayes and Rob Patzak to blow open the game with a 54-34 cushion with 4:21 remaining.
"The biggest thing was we hit a couple of shots," Conroy said. "Eargle and Patzak hit big threes."
Chaney (3-4) coach Jim Stickel agreed with part of Conroy's assessment of the tide-turning strategy.
"We got away from that [taking the ball inside]. And we started throwing the ball all over," said Stickel, noting that his team abandoned its successful inside tactics when the post got bottled up.
But just minutes earlier, "We were a little more patient getting the ball inside," Stickel said. "[But] We got away from that. We didn't come down and set up [our offense], and then [we had] turnovers."
Falcons: Fitch was led by Mayes with 14 points and nine rebounds and Patzak with 12 points on four 3-point goals, plus three assists.
Eargle added nine points and four steals while Barber chipped in with nine points and Dajwan Stubbs three steals.
Sparking Fitch's 17-point run were Barber and Eargle with five points each and Mayes with four.
And after Mayes hit two foul shots to make it 54-34, he added a goal and two more free throws to keep the Falcons in firm command, 58-38.
Conroy said his team has "persevered" to develop after losing eight seniors.
"This group has stepped in without any experience and are 5-1. It's their time to play and they are finding it fun," Conroy said.
Chaney leaders: Austin and Ed McElroy led Chaney with 10 points each, while Austin also had six rebounds and McElroy three 3-point goals.
During Chaney's third-period comeback, Austin had seven points and Dykes six to fuel the charge.
Dykes and Childers finished with eight points each, Dykes also contributing six rebounds and Childers three steals. Matt Lobaugh came up with seven rebounds, four points and four assists.
Fitch shot much better than Chaney with 20 of 42 from the field to the Cowboys' 14 of 48.
The Falcons also compiled a 35-27 rebounding advantage, and committed 16 turnovers to Chaney's 19.